Scott Ramsey and Grace Jones gave potential voters their takes on transparency, projects and taxes at a pair of forums Wednesday.

The pair were among the 10 Republican candidates running for six offices appearing at the Midland County Republican Women’s and Midland County Republican Party forums at Midland County Club and the Horseshoe Pavilion respectively.

The forums provided insights on positions ranging from railroad commissioner to county clerk. Early voting for the March 1 Republican and Democratic primaries begins Tuesday.

Ramsey announced during his speech at the Republican Women’s event that Jimmy Smith, current county commissioner for precinct 1, endorsed him as his preferred successor. Ramsey listed fiscal responsibility, keeping the county’s property tax rate the lowest in the state, improving and maintaining roads and supporting law enforcement and the public libraries as goals should he fill Smith’s seat.

One question posed to Ramsey and his primary opponent Grace Jones concerned transparency in government.

“We need to make sure that people know how money is spent and where it'’s going and I will work towards making sure people can easily access that information," Ramsey said. Ramsey added that the construction of the Horseshoe Pavilion appears to be a contentious issue and expressed support for the multi-purpose complex that cost more than $30 million to build, citing the Horseshoe generated between $3 million and $9 million a year in economic revenue.

Jones announced a pair of endorsements at the MCRW luncheon. One was from Texans For Fiscal Responsibility and the other from Rhonda Lacy, co-chair of Mighty Texas Strike Force and one of MCRW’s long-standing members.

Jones emphasized the need for conservative leadership by those who represent “all backgrounds” and stressed transparency, namely that she would advocate for having all major capital projects and tax increases be brought before the voters.

“I represent a portion of our community, young families making their way and people struggling to make ends meet,” Jones said. “It’s important that we have people in government who truly understand the impact that government spending can have on families.”

Besides Ramsey and Jones, other local races represented were Mark Wohleking and Mat McClure, vying for constable, Precinct 2. State races at the MCRW forum included Railroad Commission candidates John Greytok, Doug Jeffrey and Wayne Christian. Supreme Court Justice for Place 5 candidate Rick Greene, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals place 2 candidate Ray Wheless and place 5 candidate Sid Harle also were in attendance.

During the Republican Party debate, Ramsey and Jones answered questions regarding roads and how they would handle the anticipated reduction in mineral revenue and taxable valuations for the coming year. Both referred to looking at county departments and cutting any expense needed.

Ramsey said that line items would be included in cuts while road infrastructure would be watched to ensure that all transportation needs would be met by any future population increase. Jones specified that the county should “cease and desist” all capital expenditures, and emphasized increasing transparency in the county government by posting a list of roads under construction or slated for construction on the county website.

Both said they would not enter office with a new major capital project.

The GOP event allow brought together candidates running for constable, precinct 2; county clerk (Sue Madry and Alison Haley) and district attorney (Laura Nodolf and Will Lundy).